The digital revolution, characterized by the proliferation of computers and the rise of internet culture, has spurred the adoption of digital and network infrastructure across many business sectors, becoming the norm for our time. Now, we're taking this a step further: the AI revolution is upon us. AI technology, currently in the early stages of technological development and service launch, is poised to sprout and expand across all business sectors.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, discussed the ripple effects and future prospects of AI joining the workforce in his essay, “ Moore’s Law for Everything .”

“When AI provides the labor, the prices of many goods and services will fall to zero,” he predicted. “One of the two sources of wealth will be companies that utilize AI, and the other will be land, which is in fixed supply.”
The potential for business growth in the AI era

OpenAI's ChatGPT hasn't even been commercialized yet, but it's already got major tech companies on edge. Major companies are expected to invest in AI technology development.

This is what Lee-Feng Chien, former Managing Director of Google Taiwan and current Director of AI company Appier, revealed in an interview with DigiTimes. He predicted that as AI technology advances, there will be a growth in server and hardware manufacturers that can shoulder computing resources, as well as a business area where startups can thrive.

As Director Lifeng Qian stated, most of the AI development in 2022 will be in language models (LMs). Responding to the public interest in AI chatbots last year, companies rushed to research, develop, and apply LMs to their businesses. This is not simply a populist or showy marketing ploy, but rather a cost-effective and business-focused option.

According to market research firm Gartner, on the 8th, Gartner analyst vice president Bern Elliot said about ChatGPT's AI innovation, "A useful perspective is to view large-scale language models (LLMs) like GPT not as mere gimmicks, but as potential and useful tools for performing specific tasks."

He emphasized the importance of LLM in business success, saying, “Success hinges on identifying applications that can benefit your organization by leveraging these technologies.”

Telecommunications companies are attracting attention for their rapid adoption of AI solutions.

According to market research firm Gartner, conversational AI is expected to reduce global call center labor costs by approximately $80 billion (approximately 100 trillion won) by 2026. Additionally, automated consultations are expected to reach 10% by 2026, up from approximately 1.6% last year.

Accordingly, telecommunication companies quickly began researching and developing LM and applying it to their business areas.

In its 2023 New Year's address, SK Telecom (SKT) CEO Yoo Young-sang emphasized, "We will leap forward as a differentiated 'AI company' that adds AI to our core communications-based connectivity technology." Last year, SKT launched the AI service A. and established Sapion to develop AI semiconductors, demonstrating its active commitment to expanding its AI technology.

SKT has equipped Adot with a Korean-specific version based on the GPT-3 model and is providing users with a B2C service that allows free-flowing conversations. The GPT-3 model enables Adot to handle not only everyday conversations but also specific tasks requested by users.
KT introduced AI voice bots to its call centers to help resolve on-site issues. As a result of introducing a chat-centered call center in June and starting to provide customer consultations, the consultation connection rate has significantly increased to 95%, employee satisfaction has improved by 30 points to 80 points compared to before the introduction, and employee turnover has also decreased from an average of 15% per month to virtually 0%.

KT has not only introduced the KT AICC solution, which supports all customer center operations with AI, into its own company, but also has response manuals for the call centers of large corporations such as Shinhan Bank, Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance, and Lina Life Insurance, as well as small business owners and self-employed individuals such as restaurants, through AICC.
At the AI development strategy unveiling ceremony held last November, KT CEO Koo Hyun-mo said, “AI is being deeply applied to all industries in a shorter time than expected, creating added value, leading to a digital transformation, and changing the flow of the global economy.”